Tell your Kids your not mad, nearly every Bermondsey Boy at one time or another stood on the center of the bridge waiting for that Bus or lorry, the bigger the better, go past. It was the strangest feeling.My Father in Law worked in the control tower for the bridge some 40 odd years ago maintaining the workings and controls.I could have gone with him as a visitor but alas, i never did, how i regret it now?

Hi RickTell your Kids your not mad, nearly every Bermondsey Boy at one time or another stood on the center of the bridge waiting for that Bus or lorry, the bigger the better, go past.BermondseyboySteve

I second that Steve and It's not only Bermondsey boys who stood on the crack on the bridge!The excitement of it all! Hee hee!

On 30th December 1952, an incident described as ‘1 in 150,000’ by the Daily Mail occurred when Tower Bridge began to open with a no.78 double decker bus on it. The bus in question was being driven from Shoreditch to Dulwich, and according to the driver Albert Gunter, it was travelling at about 12mph when suddenly the northern arm of the bridge began to lift.

Gunter realised that he had no option but to speed up otherwise the vehicle would have fallen into the River Thames. Luckily the south side was slower to lift which meant that the bus dropped the much more preferable several feet and miraculously remained upright.

The Daily Express of 31st December describes how within a few minutes of the incident the Bridge Master, Mr Leslie Priestly – who lived in a house on the south side – ‘put on his overcoat and bowler hat and was inspecting the bridge’.

Ambulances and fire engines were shortly in attendance, with the injured being carried from the bus on stretchers fashioned from seats which had been thrown from their frames in the drop.

Of the 20 passengers, 4 were treated for minor injuries on the bridge, and a further 10 were taken to Guy’s Hospital including the driver and the conductor. 11 year old Peter Dunn of Bermondsey suffered a fractured collarbone.

Although a ship had been scheduled to pass through the bridge, according to eye witnesses the traffic light had been green, signalling that it was safe for the bus to proceed. The superintendant engineer later admitted the men on duty in the north side control house had not noticed the bus and ‘a relief man was operating the bridge’.

Considering that Tower Bridge had been raised over 300,000 times before this incident, it is perhaps more amazing that this was the only time such an accident had occurred. Well, almost. In 1943 a van driver failed to see the warning light and crashed into a bascule.

The aftermath of the Tower Bridge incident saw Albert Gunter becoming something of a minor celebrity. He received £10 from London Transport and £35 from the City of London for his speed of thought that saved so many lives. Four months later, according to the Daily Express of 8th April 1953, Gunter, 46 from Islington ‘can’t understand what the fuss is all about’, going on to say that at Dalston Garage ‘the boys still take it out of me. They call me Parachute Gunter and Waterwings!’

As his fame grew, the West London Observer reports how Albert Gunter was chosen to judge a driving competition at an event called ‘Better Roadmanship’ on the Serpentine Road in Hyde Park on July 25th 1953…

However for me the most heartwarming story is how after seven months of being incapable of travelling on public transport alone due to the incident, a Miss May Walshaw finally conquered her fears by taking the same route with the same driver across the same bridge. And two weeks later she was married with Albert Gunter as her best man!

How many of you remember tv series Brannigan staring John WayneAfter driving through some familiar streets he then jumped Tower Bridge in a Ford Capri.

Great bit of film Bermondseyboy, I can't remember the series. Am I right in thinking that the chase was on our manor & when they come onto the Tower Bridge Approach they are coming from East London? Nice story about Miss May Wilshaw, that would have given her a Lift.

kiwi wrote:Great bit of film Bermondseyboy, I can't remember the series. Am I right in thinking that the chase was on our manor & when they come onto the Tower Bridge Approach they are coming from East London?

Hi Kiwi

Parts of this video look familiar especially the railway bridges but i cannot be sure, i have watched several times to see if i could spot a road sign name with no luck.Perhaps someone will recognise some of the roads?

Hi Bermondseyboy.The more you look at the Video the more things you see so I'm going to leave it there. A lot of shots where in the Battersea & Wandsworth area & Beckton Gas Works. As we know most Films & TV have a poetic license to make it more interesting, which you can understand. Except when you say to your other half, I know where that is, there's a Pub around the corner or a School, then it jumps to somewhere else,no Pub no School and they give you that look, Yer! you really knew where that was know-all Sometimes silence is golden.